Chapter VIII: Field Etiquette

I am aware that in writing of field etiquette the chapter must have a didactic ring with its consequent dullness. My advice, therefore, to all who are fully acquainted with the unwritten laws that govern the sportsman on field and marsh, is to “cut this out.” However, I do not feel that it would be right to close this book without a word on the subject, for there are two classes that I wish to reach, the novice who thinks he is privileged to shoot at everything that moves, saving only those guides who wear red caps, and the veteran shot who thinks that he _must_ make a bag.

There is no place where the golden rule can be better applied than in the shooting field. If we govern ourselves by this old precept in the treatment of our fellows and apply the principles of a “square deal” to shooting the game, there need be little fear of any hunter forfeiting the title of sportsman.

Some wise man has said that every man is a barbarian at heart, and only a gentleman from policy. There is just enough truth in this to make the saying disagreeable. Whatever he may be by nature, military discipline gives to every soldier the semblance of a brave man, the needs of business and civilization force us all to masquerade in garments of courtesy, the one suit much like another, but a man’s true nature shows through his hunting clothes, and it has been aptly said that you never know even a friend until you have gone camping with him a week. Certainly pursuing wild things is an elementary sport, and the elementary in us is liable to be thrown into relief, betraying qualities good and bad that were never seen before.

Too many men afield are governed by the idea that it is every one for himself and the devil take the hindmost. Put them in a pen and they will have the biggest ear of corn, though they know that in the nature of things this will lead to their dining alone in future. Courtesy afield is bread cast upon the waters which will surely return, but many seem bent upon eating their own bread at the time, taking chances on picking up that of someone else as it comes back.

The absolutely selfish individual can get along nicely in all his shooting and fishing trips, with the greatest satisfaction to everybody with the possible exception of himself, by going entirely alone. Should he need human companionship a darkey or well-trained English domestic will serve him best. He can then take the first shot at every bevy, and every bird that follows belongs to him; he can have the choice duck blind and all the decoys; the best boat or the only boat is his; he can have the snipe corner all to himself; there are none to question his superiority as a marksman, and paid servants will be more pliable than any good-tempered friend whom he may draft for the purpose. Such a man will require no instructions in shooting etiquette or any other etiquette, for the uses of politeness are only to make companionship agreeable.

So far as the ethics of game shooting in a sportsmanlike manner are concerned, a few words on the subject will suffice. With the possible exception of the wild turkey, which should really be made the target for a rifle only, no game bird should ever be fired upon when not in full flight. This rule must never be broken under any circumstances except to finish a cripple. I have known men who considered themselves good sportsmen who would shoot a quail or a grouse out of a tree though they would not fire upon him when on the ground. Their defense was that the bird had forfeited his life by taking to a tree and thus refusing them a fair shot. This is merely whipping the devil around the stump, and such hair-splitters might be greatly tempted to take a potshot in the first place were no one present.

No more should a wild duck ever be killed upon the water or at rest, no matter how difficult the stalk or how scarce the birds may be. A bag of birds killed in any manner except fairly upon the wing must be regarded as having afforded absolutely no sport, as not a whit better than an utterly blank day. Indeed, the latter can bring no after regrets and the former surely ought to.

The only possible excuse for shooting a bird at rest is that we may feed our vanity by displaying him, or that he is actually needed to satisfy hunger--few modern sportsmen are going about hungry these days. If the bag is of prime importance, if it must be filled regardless of the laws of sport, there is nothing to be said further than that the man who so feels is purely a meat hunter. Let the conscience of a good sportsman govern your actions when out all alone where there can be no policeman to knock you over the head for a failure to consider the rights of others.

Rabbits should never be shot unless going full tilt, and squirrels are not a fair target for a shotgun, not even when running. For that matter many hold that nothing wearing hair or fur should ever fall before a smooth bore, and they are not very far wrong, either. The rifle is the proper arm for such game.

Shoot no immature birds in season or out, and never make a target of anything that is not recognized as game. The temptation to shoot small birds is great at times when the shooting is poor, but sportsmen will not do it.

In flight shooting wildfowl the greatest pleasure comes from selecting your bird and cutting him down stone dead. Flock shooting is permissible because sanctioned by custom, but there is no great satisfaction in letting go into the middle of a flock of ducks without aim, however many may be bagged. This is especially true of shooting shore birds which frequently fly slowly and in large bunches. Cripples should always be knocked over where at all possible before another shot is fired at the living birds. Taking wild shots that are admittedly beyond the range of the gun is unsportsmanlike, though nearly all of us must plead guilty to that.

It seems a waste of words to say don’t shoot quail, snipe, woodcock, or any species of grouse upon the ground. As a sportsman, the man who would do this has nothing in him worth appealing to.

SHOOTING IN COMPANY

Man is a gregarious animal, especially in his sports and games. Even the solemn individual who plays solitaire likes to have an audience to see whether he beats “bogy” or not. Few would enjoy shooting and tramping alone for many days in succession, yet to enjoy the company of another we must make ourselves agreeable. No rule of thumb will make a selfish man generous, but possibly a word of warning will prevent the novice from dropping into bad habits. Shooting I have found to develop three characteristics in a great many: hoggishness, jealousy, and envy, any one of which is liable to become a spoil-sport.

If your friend is a better shot than you, keep your mind off it and do the best you can. Should you excel, then for sport’s sake give him a show, for taking advantage of one who is weaker is not to be excused under any code of ethics.

There are two abominable fellows to shoot with: the man who is a good shot and thinks he must sustain his reputation at whatever cost, and the “claimer.” Sometimes they are compounded in one, and the mixture makes a bitter dose. This man knocks down your bird as well as his own with the expressed fear that you might have missed. He takes all the singles for the same reason--“feared you might lose that fellow.” He sends his friend around to beat the brush for him and drive the game out while he takes it in the open. His shooting companion always plays dog when one is needed; the chump invariably pulls the boat and he does the shooting. All the birds at which both fire are his because he never misses and you probably did. At the close of the day’s shooting he counts your birds and his own with ill-concealed triumph, and then goes away to tell of how thoroughly he bested you. Have none of him; he is playing you for a sucker, a foil to his vanity. While the individual illustrated is known to all and will be with us always, yet it is not necessary for the novice to pattern after him.

Such simple rules of procedure as I may give here are dictated by common sense and a proper regard for the rights of others. They are in such common observance among sportsmen that it might seem a waste of time to put them in type, but I have seen them violated so often that it is fair to assume that ignorance is as often to blame as selfishness.

Beginning with the wildfowl, in duck shooting upon public waters, the first man out in the morning is entitled to choice of blinds, or his pick of location for a blind. He is then not to be interfered with either by another gun stopping near enough to scare his birds or by getting upon his line of flight. Willfully spoiling the sport of another without benefitting himself is the game of a city tough or a country “rough neck.” Of course this has no reference to the friends who may from choice shoot from the same or adjacent blinds.

When two guns are shooting from the same hiding place the leader of an incoming flock of ducks should be given to the rear man who is also entitled to fire the first shot. If only one duck or a pair come in they belong to the man upon whose side they approach. If a flock of birds are passing, the gunner they reach last is entitled to give the word to fire. Should a pair of blinds be situated a short distance apart, as usually happens, one marksman must never be tempted to shoot at birds that are passing directly over the other gun until its owner has discharged both barrels. Few things are more provocative of ill feeling than to have one gun take birds that plainly belonged to the other, either killing them or driving them away. The shooters who will do this belong to the impossible class--the go it alone and be hanged to them. Neither should a man call to birds that are evidently decoying to another.

Where two men are shooting from a boat, as in jumping ducks, the one pulling while the other handles the gun, nothing should tempt the oarsman to touch his gun--not even stopping cripples that are otherwise sure to escape. For the time his sole business is to manage the boat.

With a fixed time to begin and desist from shooting upon a marsh, whether the hour was set by law or a club, never fail to observe the rule to the minute. Should the gunner permit himself to be tempted into shooting previous to the prescribed time, he would be infringing upon the rights of others by starting the fowl to flying before the blinds had been occupied. Shooting after hours is also an unwarranted liberty, as it may injure the sport of the following day.

If any man kills a bird that was undoubtedly your shot, claim the fowl and place it in your bag; it may teach the selfish shooter a lesson.

In field shooting two are company and three a crowd unless the trio of guns are very steady and accustomed to working together. More than three guns should never follow one brace of dogs.

When two men are shooting together, each over his own dog, the bird or shot belongs to the man whose dog found it, and his friend should never fire first unless invited to do so. It is nothing short of dishonesty to take the bird that has been found by the dog of another except with the owner’s express permission. Should but one of the party own a dog the duties of a host fall upon him, requiring that he give his companion a fair share of the shooting.

In covey shooting an imaginary line should be kept in mind, the birds going to the right of this belonging to the gun on that side, and all upon the other to the left gun. A disagreeable thing that will happen now and then is to have both guns discharged at one bird. This should occur but rarely if care is exercised not to shoot upon the wrong side of the line, and when it does the bird belongs to the man upon whose ground it fell.

The business of “wiping the eye” of another, as it is called, is not to be commended. The bird belongs to the man upon whose side it breaks until he has fired both barrels, neither is he to be interfered with, hurried, or rattled by the fear of another charge cutting in. When he has finished shooting it will generally be too late for the second man to deliver a killing shot, and one that merely pricks or wounds is very unsportsmanlike. A continued and deliberate attempt to kill game that has been missed by another can only result in developing unpleasantness. Shooting at the bird of another before he has had time to fire both barrels is an indefensible proceeding.

The owner of the dog which is standing game has the right to point out the positions which other guns should occupy when the bevy breaks, but his duty as host would demand that he did not select the place of vantage for himself. If necessary for someone to walk the game up he can delegate this duty to another or assume it himself. For the time being he is master of ceremonies.

In cover shooting, at least, two guns hunting together should be the limit, and these must keep in close touch with one another. When of necessity they are forced to separate constant signals should be exchanged. The man who violates this rule endangers both himself and his companion. I can recall shooting quail with a friend in the hazel thickets of Illinois. We took separate paths and lost sight of one another for a few seconds. Looking down a hazel lane I saw my dog pointing. As I started for him a quail broke, taking a course straight for my head. I dodged and at the same time the other gun cracked, overshooting the bird and thus missing me. My companion violated two rules in thus shooting: flushing birds to the point of another’s dog without permission, and firing at all without absolutely knowing the whereabouts of the other gun.

In a nearly similar occurrence a fine young sportsman of St. Louis had both eyes shot out. Remember that there is little time to think after the game is on the wing, so every precaution must be taken previous to flushing the bird, and the man who is willing to take the slightest chance of injuring another for the sake of shooting is a criminal in the guise of a sportsman.

I doubt if there is one experienced gunner who has not at some time or other had his ears split with the sharp crack of nitro powder. More than one gunner has had his hearing permanently injured by this fool’s trick, and many a day has been spoiled by it. The author vividly remembers shooting with a man who was partially deaf, and who, not being able to hear much himself, was utterly reckless about other people’s ears. When the gentleman did catch a sound it seemed that he heard it most plainly, and finally while he was busy aiming I let off my gun behind his head. The one lesson was enough.

When field shooting in a settled community never fire a shot within less than forty rods of a house, or of people at work in the field. There may be ladies and children about the place who will be rendered nervous by the sound of a gun, and this will finally provoke the owner into forbidding all shooting. That express permission may have been given to shoot where you wished is all the more reason why the rights of the generous proprietor should be carefully guarded. For the same reason keep out of stock pastures and away from teams; half the ill will of farmers toward hunters is engendered by reckless shooting that _might_ do damage.

In shooting by invitation over the lands or marshes of another, carefully obey the instructions of your host. Should he send you to a part of the estate where you know birds are scarce, go there and nowhere else. Neither go outside of the grounds he marks out for you, remembering that he and not you may be held responsible for your conduct in poaching on forbidden lands. In the same way accept the poorest duck blind without question or complaint, taking it for granted that your host is doing the best he can for you and that your time will come later. The position of host to a party of gunners is sufficiently trying without your adding to it by grumbling even to yourself.

A word now as to the manner of carrying and handling the gun: The one big thing to remember is never to point an unloaded gun at anything you have no private reasons for wishing to kill. Little need be said relative to carelessly handling loaded and cocked guns--they never kill anybody. The man who keeps forever covering you with the muzzle of his gun should be regarded simply as a vicious lunatic and proper precautions taken.

In the field three positions for carrying the gun are recognized as safe and good. The first is over the shoulder with the side of the stock resting upon it and the muzzle of the gun pointing upward; the second is over the hollow of the arm with the muzzle directed away from your companion; the third is under the right arm with the barrels pointed toward the ground. Carrying the arm across the back of the neck is unsafe and marks a rowdy with the same certainty as tilting the hat on the back of the head.

When walking up to a point, if on the left, hold the weapon across the body nearly at right angles with the muzzle a trifle high, but if on the right keep the piece directed straight out and down. A right and left-handed man shoot together with greater ease and security than when both are right handed.

Here are just a few things to be remembered: It hurts just as much to be shot accidentally as with evil intent. You cannot impress anybody with your skill as a shot by beating him through unfair means. You cannot obtain a shooting reputation by telling people how well you have shot or can shoot. It is easy to see hoggishness in the other fellow and his eyes are as good as yours. Don’t borrow a dog or a gun or loan either. Don’t exceed the bag limit or shoot out of season. Stand for a “square deal” yourself and other people will see that you get it.

THE END

Transcriber’s Notes.

Italic text is indicated with _underscores_, bold text with =equals=. Small/mixed capitals have been replaced with ALL CAPITALS.

Evident typographical and punctuation errors have been corrected silently. Inconsistent spelling/hyphenation has been normalised.

Half-titles and other title reiterations have been discarded.

To improve text flow, illustrations have been relocated between paragraphs.

Some tables have been reorganised.

Cover art created for this eBook is granted to the public domain.